Law enforcement and school administrators provided an update on Tuesday evening following the horrific and evil shooting that took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, as the Texas Department of Public Safety told Fox News' Bill Melugin that the death toll from inside the school had climbed to a total of 18 young students and one adult teacher who were killed on Tuesday.
Update 10:05 pm ET: The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that the death toll increased to include at least 19 students and two teachers killed in the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
"The investigation is not complete," said Anne Marie Espinoza, the executive director of communications and marketing for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (CISD), and as such she and other local authorities provided only short statements and did not take questions from the press on Tuesday evening.
"This is a tragic time in our district," she said, "we greatly appreciate your patience and understanding."
Uvalde CISD Chief of Police Pete Arredondo confirmed that his department is "still working on this active investigation" and promised "once we're able to provide information to the families, we will do so first and foremost. Please bear with us," Chief Arredondo added.
"Once we do get some information that we can release to the public, we will do that," Arredondo said, promising a future press conference would be held when more information is able to be released to the public.
"Let me assure you," Chief Arredondo said, "the intruder is deceased and we are not actively looking for another individual or any other suspects in this case."
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"We definitely ask you all to keep the families that are involved in your prayers," Arredondo said in closing.
An emotional Uvalde CISD Superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell said "this was a tragic and senseless event today, and my heart is broke today," adding "our hearts and thoughts and prayers are with all our families as we go through this day and the days to come."
Dr. Harrell announced that beginning Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. grief counseling and support would be available at the Uvalde civic center for students, staff, and community members, a resource that may be available for several days as the grief unfolds.
The superintendent also announced that the district's campuses would be closed for the two remaining days of the school year and all activities were canceled, while an update on when graduation may take place would be forthcoming. It was scheduled for Friday.
"My heart was broken today," Dr. Harrell reiterated, growing emotional again. "We're a small community, and we need your prayers to get through his," he said.
Townhall's Julio Rosas is on the ground in Uvalde Tuesday evening, and spoke with several members of the community affected by the tragedy that's still unfolding for many parents and family members of Robb Elementary School students.
One woman he spoke to outside the school said she still doesn't know the location of her niece, who is a student at Robb Elementary. Her family members are spread out at various locations awaiting any information, including the local hospital, the school, and the civic center. A man Julio spoke with reported that his nephew was injured in the shooting but is expected to recover.
Townhall's @Julio_Rosas11 joined Tucker Carlson from Uvalde, Texas, to report what he's hearing following the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. pic.twitter.com/QtBrb3QSMB
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 25, 2022
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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